Help starting to sew with Bernina 1230 and stitch in ditch walking foot
 

Hoping someone who has used a similar set up can help. I am VERY new to quilting (first quilt :rolleyes:). I have assembled the walking foot with the stitch in the ditch plate and can sew prettty well in a straight line. (Not quite as even sized stitches as I'd like; but, I think that's a problem with letting part of the quilt hang off the table without realizing it.)

My real problem is starting to stitch. I'd like to pull up the bottom thread so that I can secure both threads out of the way and then hide it in the quilt later. I can't figure out how to get the bottom thread to come up in the usual way with the presser foot down. I raise the wheel to the top position; but, can't access the thread to pull it up and get the loop from the bobbin to come up unless I lift the presser foot. IF I lift the presser foot it works - but it throws off my starting point - I can't see well enough around the giant foot to get the needle back into the same exact hole. I thought about just taking short stitches instead of hiding the thread - but again, I am having trouble seeing well enough to place the needle.

I hope this makes sense, I'm having trouble explaining! I've looked all over the internet and youtube - but all the demos just show someone starting to stitch, with no worries as to what happens to the threads or if the needle is exactly where they want it.

Any thoughts? Thank you!

Since you can't see well enough to re-position the needle in the original hole after pulling up the bobbin thread, I would simply hold the two threads to the back of the machine when you start stitching (so there are no tangles) and make about 4 tiny stitches. Try it out on a scrap sandwich first. I haven't done it for awhile on my 1230, but I believe I set the stitch length at .5 for those first few tiny stitches, then turn the stitch length up to about 3 for the quilting stitches. Before stitching, I always find both bobbin and top thread ends and hold my finger on top of them when starting to sew. This ensures you don't have a thread nest at the beginning of your stitching.

I have a Bernina 1530. I never tied off my stitches (I just do a few tiny stitches in the ditch) but always want to make sure I had the bobbin thread not nesting on the backside of the quilt. So I would park my needle a few inches off of where I am going to quilt and then pull my bobbin thread up. You can then manipulate the thread to where you want to do your tying off.

I think it is very important to pull the bobbin thread up before beginning a line of stitching to prevent thread nests on the back. I like to make the first down and up stitch near where I plan to start, raise the presser foot and pull the quilt away from the needle, and pull up the thread. Holding the two threads in my fingers re-position the needle in the ditch, then lower the presser foot. Then stitch away. Stitching in the ditch is a skill that has to be practiced whether you do it with that special sole plate on the newest Bernina walking feet or doing it with a regular foot. I like to do my stitch in the ditch with the open toed quilting foot-fre motion quilting. Stitch slowly.

If you have trouble seeing check out the Big Look. I love it. I can see every stitch perfectly. I think it's the best purchase I've made in several years for my sewing.

http://www.thebiglook.co/Big_Look_Models.html

Thanks everyone - this definitely gives me some ideas. I'm going to go practice some more. I hadn't thought of magnifying, as the problem is more with the foot blocking the view of where the needle goes. But, now, I'm thinking I may try it. Maybe I can magnify that tiny space enough so I can place the needle correctly. Using some of the other tips combined with that should help me get started. Gonna be a busy weekend :)